Fighting Terror with Music

Karim Wasfi

“I took a decision to beat terror, intimidation, brainwash, monopoly, through beauty, refinement, civilization and dialogue. From 9 families attending my concert in 2008, today I have 1,200 which the capacity of the major concert hall in Baghdad.” In this inspiring talk, Karim Wasfi shares his personal story of the use of music in Iraq to help overcome death and to defeat terror and hate. Karim is the Director of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra.

Karim Wasfi

Chief conductor & Director-Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra

Karim is the Chief conductor and Director of the Iraqi Symphony Orchestra. During his distinguished career as a musician, Karim has promoted creativity to convey powerful messages about peace. Founder of the “Peace through Arts’’, Karim teaches music to youth and orphans from different backgrounds to promote reconciliation. He also initiated the first female conductors’ class in the Middle East. Recently, Karim drew the attention of international media for his courageous acts of playing cello on blast sites of terrorist attacks. This response to violence has become a campaign called Music for Peace, aiming at rebuilding connections among his fellow citizens to resist violence.

In this inspiring talk, Mireille and Nicolas share their experiences working in one of Geneva’s most diverse neighbourhoods. They show that the tools of dialogue, listening and understanding are relevant everywhere. Mireille Widmer is an expert in security and development and Nicolas Witschard is a counsellor for community action at the City of Geneva.

Pososhok perform 2 songs live at the Geneva Peace Talks and brings to audience to their feet. The first “Ungakohla” – a song dedicated to the leaders of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the second “Welama”, a song about seeking a better future by looking to the wisdom of the past.

Helen Calle-Lin is an entrepreneur and passionate about creating public spaces for people to meet. In this talk, she describes how she got involved in revitalizing a public space in Geneva and how the small actions we can all take, matter.
Recorded at the United Nations Office at Geneva on 21 September 2016.
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